Help a friend

My phone rang at 7:45 this busy Monday morning, and I looked at the number on the display. Another number I didn’t recognize. There’s nothing unusual about that since I give out my phone number to lots of pastors and people I meet. After all, networking is part of my job. I answered the phone and tried to pick up a clue to help identify who was on the other end. By the end of the phone call, all I had figured out is that I had met him and given him my contact information, he was 5 minutes walk away with a new computer and needed help activating software. Hanging up the phone, I sighed. Thinking through my mental list of things I had to do today I did the cultural and most important thing: I went outside to meet him.

After looking at his computer and setting up new programs and explaining things like 30 day trial software, talk turned to other things. Suddenly I remembered where I had met him. I had dropped in to see the regional director of a denomination and found he was busy talking with someone else. I wandered outside the building to pass the time and found two fellows sitting on the ground filling out papers. Starting a conversation with them, I found they were teachers and talk eventually turned to what I do. We chatted for a while about languages, translation, and learning before my time to see the regional director came. Saying goodbye, I gave them my business card.

Now Ham was here and talking about the needs for translation and literacy work in his language group. Can we help?

Another chance meeting. Another friend. A small need met (computer). Another need becoming apparent. I’m sure that someday we’ll run into each other again.